Reciprocating positioning mechanism.



H. W. EDEN.

RECIPROCATING POSITIONING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, I9I4.

Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

\/E .I'ELER Xa'rold Eden H. W. EDEN. RECIPROCATING POSITIONING MECHANISM.'

APPLIIJATIONQFILED JAN. 26. 1914.

Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

3 $HEETSSHEET2- I v52 1GB )(aro/d Widen E STATES PATENT oFFIoE;

HAROLD w. EDEN, or cnrcneoflnmivors.

RECIPROCATING POSITIONING MECHANISM.

'thereon, which form a part of this specification.

'Heretofore in power driven washing machines in which the clothes are contained within a reciprocating drum, it has been more or less diflicult to properly locate the opening in said drum for the purpose of inserting or removing clothes therefrom when the' drive has been thrown off, and in mostinstances it has been necessary to alternately drive and stop the machine until the clothes drum stops at a certain position convenient for afiording access thereto.

This invention relates to a reversing gear adapted to reciprocate a. clothes drum and so connected ,thereto as to properly position the same when the same is brought to rest, with the opening conveniently accessible from the top of the machine, whereby .the contents of the drum may be easily removed therefrom without loss of time usually required in an endeavor to locate and position the opening.

It is an ob ect of this invention to construct a rotatable clothes drum-associated with suitable reciprocating gearing adapted to alternately drive said drum first in one direction and then in another and with means for stopping said drum in a position -with the'opgening therein properly disposed for access y an operator.

It is also an ob ect of this invention to rovide a clothes drum having doors there'- in,said drum associated with suitable gears for reciprocating the same, the reciprocating mechan sm sotimed as to reverse the drive when the doors in the drum are at the top thereotwhereby a stopping of t e same effected at such a pointaffords convenient access thereto by an operator.

It is also an object of this invention to providea reciprocating gear for a clothes drum, wherein the reversal of drive takes place when the doors in said drum are in Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

7 Application filed January 26, 191;. Serial No. 814,412.

an upper position and with manually actu atable means for locking the reversing gear in neutral position to disconnect the drive from the drum-with the doors therein properly positioned for convenient access thereto.

Itis also an object of this invention to provide a reversing gear connected with a clothes drum having doors therein, said reversing gear so timed as to effect areversal of said drum when the doors are in an upper position and with means for disconnecting the reversing gearor retaining the same in neutral position at the instant of reversal of said drum to thereby stop the same with said doors in'said upper position.

Its furthermore an object of this invention to construct a device wherein a clot-hes drum having doors therein is adapted to be drivenby a reversible or reciprocating mechanism, which acts automatically to reverse the direction of drive of said drum periodically, and with a manually actuated 4 pin adapted to stop an element of the reversing mechanism during a reversing movement thereof to stop said drum in a proper position with the doors "disposed for access by an operator.

It is finally an object of this invention to .construct'a drum and reciprocating driving .mechanism therefor which acts automatifrom.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described. l

y In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of anvaslring .machine with a re-' versing gear and clothes -drum mounted thereon. Fig. 2 isa section taken on line 2-2 of-Fig. 1'. Fig. 3 is an interior view of the reversing gear mechanism with the cover-thereof removed.v Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 1-4 of Fig. Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 55 of Fig. 4;. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view showing in elevation the clutch lever of the reversing gear mechanism. Fig. 7 is a. section taken through the bevel gear of the reversing mechanism. Fig. 8 isan'end elevation of the end of the bevel gear shaft of the reversing mechanism. -Fig. 9 is an elevation of the cam disk secured on the bevel gear of the reversing mechanism. Fig. 10, is a top plan view artly broken away of the perforated clot es drum, and showing the doors thereon in closed position. Fig 11, is a section taken on line 11--11 of Fig. 10. Fig.

12 is an end elevation of the clothes drum,

drum and said wringer either simultaneously or independently.

For the purpose of transmitting the drive from the motor, any suitable type of bevel gears, (not shown) but inclosed in a housing 6, are mountedconveniently upon-the machine, and inclosed within a tubular member 7 is a sectional shaft 8, which is secured to a bevel gear within said housing 6, to be driven thereby. This portion .of the mechanism,-however, forms no part of this invention. Said sectional shaft 8 ,'extends through a reversing gear casing 9, and thence upwardly through another tubular member 10, which is connected with the cassaid wringer 4. However, thisjinvention relates only to the reversing mechanism and said drum.

its association with the clothes drum of the device, and the wringer ClIlVlIlg mechanism forms no part thereof.

For the purpose of reversing the clothes drum, there is secured in one ofthe ends 12-; thereof, a socket member 13, which is pro-.

vided with a pentagonal recess 14,-adapted to receive therein the similarly shaped end 15, ofa bevel gear shaft 16. The bevel gear shaft 16, is'journaled in said casing 9, and

has secured thereon a bevelgear 17, which at all times meshes with freely rotatable clutch gears 18, and 19, respectively, mounted on said shaft 8.

A rotatable slidable clutch to either one ofits extreme positions engages with one of said For the purpose of actuating said clutch member 20, into engagement with either one of said clutch gears 18, or 19, a clutch lever 21, is pivotally mounted at its lower end .bars 30, secured on said member 20, feathered on said shaft 8, and when shifted gears 18, or 19, to rotate' per end thereof and is adapted to engage in notches in the outer surface of said gear casing 9.

For the purpose of maintaining said clutch lever in neutral pos'itiona pin 23, is slidably mounted in an aperture in a lug on the upper side of said casing 9, and is adapted when thrust inwardly, to engage in an aperture 24, in the clutch lever, to I thereby positively lock the same from movement in either direction.

Means are" provided for automatically producing a reversal of rotation of said bevel gear 17, and for this purpose a cam disk 25, is rotatably mounted thereon, and is provided with a raised portion or cam element 26. Said cam disk is provided with a plurality of notches or teeth in its periphery adapted to be engaged by a stop 27,

rigidly secured on the interior of said casing v 9, so that with each rotation of said bevel gear 17, the passage of the cam disk by' the stop 27, will cause a movement of the disk equal to the pitch of said notches or teethin the periphery thereof; I

Slidably mounted in .a lug 28, adjacent said cam disk is a spring pressed pin 29, adapted to be normally retracted, and which, when projected, extends through the I front faceof said bevel gear 17, to contact ing 11, wherein are mounted gears to drive either one, as the case may be, of the spring clutch lever 21, to throw said clutch member into one position or the other, the impact thereon being relieved to some extent by said spring bars 30. Said pin 29, is so positioned relative the cam disk as to be contacted and impelled outwardly through the bevel gear 17 on are on the top side of said drum at the instant of reversal thereof. I

The operation is as follows When the driven shaft 8, is rotating, an operator withdraws the pin 23, and throws said clutch member manually into either one ofit-s extreme posit ons and due to the interlocking of one of said bevel gears 18 or 19, with the I clutch on said shaft 8, the drum is caused tude of movement of said clutch lever,21 is .to rotate. It is to be noted that the amplinot suflicient to bring either one of the side 1215 ulges thereof to a position beyond that of the pin 23, so that with said clutch lever in any but itsneutral position,-it is im ossible to thrust said pin 23, inwardly. coordingly, when it is desired to stop the machine, of course with the doors in the drum properly positioned for access thereto, the operator merely presses inwardly upon said pin 23, and when the reversing action takes place and the clutch lever is moved from one extreme position toward another, the pin will engage within the aperture and lock the clutch in neutral position, thus disconnecting the driving mechanism from the clothes drum, and inasmuch as the same is secured thereto with the doors thereof adapted to be positioned on the upper side thereof during the reversing movement, the consequent stoppage of the drum when the clutch is thrown to neutral position will position the drum with the doors on the upper side thereof, and convenient of access for an operator.

I am aware that details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention. I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the priorart.

I claim as my invention:

L'l-n a device of the class described, a clothes drum, means affording access thereto, mechanism for driving said drum alternately in opposite directions, controlling mechanism for automatically reversing said driving mechanism, and manually operated means for engaging and stopping said controlling mechanism when the latter is in neutral position, whereby said drum will be stopped. at a predetermined point affording access to its interior.

2-. In a device of the class described, a clothes drum, means atl'ording access thereto, mechanism for driving said drum alternately in opposite directions, a lever forclothes drulm, means affordingaccess thereto, mocha ism for driving said drum,

clutch me ianism for reversing said drum, a. lever co trolling said clutch mechanism and actinggautomatically to reverse the same,

said lever having an aperture therein, and a manually operagd pin for engaging said lever when in neutral position, whereby said drum will be stopped at a predetermined point afi'ording access to its interior.

4. In a. device of the class described, a

clothes drum, a casing, an apertured lag integral therewith, reversing gear mechanism in said casing, a clutch lever associated with said mechanism adapted to be manually and automatically operated to cause reversal in rotation of said clothes drum, said lever having an aperture therein, and a manually operatable pin slidably mounted in said lug adapted to be thrust into said aperture to lock the lever in neutral position during travel thereof from one extreme position to another to lock said clothes drum in proper accessible position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my namein the pres nce of two subscribing witnesses.

HAROLD \V. EDEN.

Witnesses I Cnannns \V. HILLs, J r., Ln ROY I). KILEY. 

